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[Brad Borch]

So I'm thinking about getting into solo performing and I'm wondering if anyone makes a small wearable mixer/transmitter.

The ideal unit would have a couple ins, one for a wearable mic and one for a guitar. It would also have an aux out for IEMs.

It would be headless, controlled by a pad, and transmit wirelessly to a receiver, for stereo output into the PA. Oh, and it should have some decent FX.

Oh and here's the trick: i'd like to be able to mix in backing tracks from the pad.

It sounds like a lot for a small box but with all they can do in a smartphone I'm sure it's possible, and with all the solo performers/buskers out there somebody must have put together something like this?

[Mac Kerr]

So I'm thinking about getting into solo performing

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Mac
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[Tim Weaver]

Lol. no.


The market for this device would be you and......... Yeah, just you.


No one is going to R&D a device for such a limited market. It sounds like you need to be wireless? If that's the case leave the mixer with the rest of the gear and use wireless iem's and wireless beltpacks to send and receive to/from the mixer.

[John Roberts {JR}]

Perhaps a smart powered speaker with digital remote mixing built in could be controlled by a smart phone.

So don't hold your breath for a wearable mixer anytime soon, but you might be able to pull off your mission with a smart phone and smart powered speaker with extra inputs and remote control capability.

JR

[Erik Jerde]

So I'm thinking about getting into solo performing and I'm wondering if anyone makes a small wearable mixer/transmitter.

The ideal unit would have a couple ins, one for a wearable mic and one for a guitar. It would also have an aux out for IEMs.

It would be headless, controlled by a pad, and transmit wirelessly to a receiver, for stereo output into the PA. Oh, and it should have some decent FX.

Oh and here's the trick: i'd like to be able to mix in backing tracks from the pad.

It sounds like a lot for a small box but with all they can do in a smartphone I'm sure it's possible, and with all the solo performers/buskers out there somebody must have put together something like this?

What you need is 3 RF systems and something like a Midas MR series mixer.  Control it with mixing station and playback tracks from the onboard 2 track player.  Save a bunch of money by just putting it at your feet and ditching the wireless - assuming you can roughly stay put.

[Brad Borch]

Perhaps a smart powered speaker with digital remote mixing built in could be controlled by a smart phone.

So don't hold your breath for a wearable mixer anytime soon, but you might be able to pull off your mission with a smart phone and smart powered speaker with extra inputs and remote control capability.

JR

Yeah I figured it was a long shot... I think there's a market for such a device -- think of all the solo acts, buskers, singer/songwriters in clubs that could use it.

But I think what makes sense, and I'm planning to build one, is basically a snake with cat 8 cable, cat 8 is shielded and I can use the twisted pairs for the balanced line, and have three sends and one return. So for about $100 I can make a custom snake that will send the mic and guitar signals and return an aux mix back to my in-ear monitors. So I can still walk around on stage, easy to set up and tear down, pretty flexible.

[Brian Jojade]

Putting the actual mixer ON YOUR BODY seems a bit of an exclusive market that would result in many trade-offs and very few advantages.

Now, a device that was both a transmitter and a receiver for either a headset mic or instrument input and an IEM system might be handy so that you don't have to deal with 2 bodypacks, but even then, that ties your hands when you need more flexibility.

For a wired connection, quality cat 8 cable (which shields each pair separately) could be a viable option.  My concern might be how it behaves with the guitar connection alongside line level signals.

Now, how much does this really save you vs just taping 3 wires together in a loom?

[Mac Kerr]

Putting the actual mixer ON YOUR BODY seems a bit of an exclusive market that would result in many trade-offs and very few advantages.

Pretty much SOP in the film production world. Sound Devices has a series of mixers meant to be carried by location sound mixers. They have 3, 6. and 10 input mixers. I think they can run plugins. They are hella expensive, but they have cornered the market in their speciality. Feed your IEM direct, and use a wireless mic transmitter to get the mix back to the sound system.

Mac

[Brian Jojade]

Pretty much SOP in the film production world. Sound Devices has a series of mixers meant to be carried by location sound mixers. They have 3, 6. and 10 input mixers. I think they can run plugins. They are hella expensive, but they have cornered the market in their speciality. Feed your IEM direct, and use a wireless mic transmitter to get the mix back to the sound system.

Mac

I'd say that's a far different usage scenario than a performer wearing the device. 

[Mike Caldwell]

Perhaps a smart powered speaker with digital remote mixing built in could be controlled by a smart phone.

So don't hold your breath for a wearable mixer anytime soon, but you might be able to pull off your mission with a smart phone and smart powered speaker with extra inputs and remote control capability.

JR

The RCF J Mix would do it and the EV Everse would just do it with no room to spare.

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